Idiopathic respiratory-distress syndrome has been reported to be the leading cause of respiratory failure in newborn infants. Infants afflicted with this syndrome experience substantial difficulty in breathing because the alveous of their lungs are unable to sustain inflation.
In an effort to assist infants afflicted with idiopathic respiratory-distress syndrome, it has been proposed that continuous positive airway pressure be administered to such patients. See, for example, an article entitled "Treatment of the Idiopathic Respiratory-Distress Syndrome with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure" by Gregory et al., published in the June 17, 1971 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (Volume 284, No. 24).
While various types of continuous positive airway pressure administration apparatuses have been proposed and used (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,786,809; 3,827,433 and 3,842,828), none has proven to be entirely satisfactory. The prior art apparatuses for delivering continuous positive airway pressure to infants have been relatively complex in structure and design, have not been entirely reliable in use and/or require relatively expensive sterilization procedures following use by each patient. Another problem associated with the prior art apparatuses for administrating continuous positive airway pressure to patients is that such apparatuses have failed to provide means for minimizing rebreathing by the patient of exhaled or exhausted air.